When organizing a film festival, a lot is involved: complex schedules, unique processes, and many stakeholders. You might be surprised to learn how many film festivals still primarily rely on large quantities of Excel files or software that only partially meets their needs. Fiona Festival worked together with several major film festivals, to develop software specifically designed for film festivals. This film festival management software can be customized for each unique festival. Clear problem, strong solution. You might think, problem solved! However, even a great product can make a difference with good brand positioning, helping them to find and convince the right audience.
“Together with Ministry of Marketing, we went through an enjoyable and educational positioning process. One of the outcomes was our ‘explanimation video’ on the website, which has significantly sharpened our story.”
Peter Goldman
This case covers the following improvements:
- The marketing assessment: Sharpening the story
- The online brand positioning: restructuring the website
- Short & sweet visual communication: animated explainer video
- From brand positioning to active promotion: moving forward
The marketing assessment
We started the collaboration with a comprehensive assessment using our Marketing Performance Model©. This revealed several quick wins, but also some larger challenges. One of these challenges was how to describe the product and the company story. Fiona Festival is a complex and extensive software platform. There is a lot to say about it, but this resulted in a flood of information on the website, which can deter potential customers.
Sharpening the story was the first focus. The main objective was to effectively address the needs of the target audience, as well as the barriers and potential risks they face. Through brainstorming sessions, we developed a concise and powerful narrative, with a clear payoff, distinct USPs, and an appropriate tone of voice.
The online brand positioning
With the refined story in mind, we began working on brand positioning across all (online) expressions. First, the website. We restructured it with new (shorter) texts. These texts clearly illustrate who Fiona is, what the platform can do, and what you can expect from the team behind it. Combined with the illustrations previously designed for them, we created a cheerful, light-hearted, and above all, structured whole.
Short & sweet visual communication
In addition to restructuring the website, a major challenge was the platform’s complexity. Fiona Festival can be entirely customized to meet a client’s needs. This is, of course, a significant USP. However, it also means that explaining all the possibilities takes some time. To make this easier, we collaborated with Studio Urrebuk and illustrator Nina Fernande to create an animated explainer video. In exactly 1 minute and 21 seconds, it clearly explains what Fiona Festival is, why you should want to use it, and what the possibillties are. This video has been given a prominent place at the top of the homepage. This way, every visitor gets a clear understanding of Fiona Festival within 2 minutes and has a good starting point from which they can find their specific questions on the website.
Also check the blog Unique Selling Point (USP) examples.
From brand positioning to active promotion
The overall brand positioning was launched in the second quarter of 2023. Wherever you find Fiona Festival, you now see a cheerful, professional, and well-organized brand identity. From that moment on, we began working on improving discoverability and visibility. We do this by creating content that is relevant and interesting to our target audience. This includes blog posts as well as in-depth testimonials in the form of client interviews. These give the audience a behind-the-scenes look at their industry peers, while also reading about why these festivals enjoy working with Fiona Festival. The stories further reinforce and substantiate the promises and claims made in the brand positioning.
The blogs and case studies contribute to the SEO strategy and are also used as LinkedIn ads. We’ve now built a clearly defined target audience there, filled with potential clients. We keep this audience engaged by advertising with targeted, relevant content. This generates brand awareness as well as valuable leads.
With the new strong brand positioning and online marketing efforts, Fiona Festival is seeing a doubling of the number of leads generated through their website. Each year, we evaluate where things stand: which channels to keep, what needs to be replaced, and what can be added. This way, we keep their marketing strategy focused and effective.
Do you also have a strong product that could benefit from a striking brand positioning?
